


No Two Are The Same

by ilichill



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Dolls, M/M, Witchcraft, this is all i could think of i'll add more tags and characters later
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2019-11-01 19:56:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,310
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17873825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ilichill/pseuds/ilichill
Summary: Jaehyun likes dolls, apparently, and Doyoung likes Jaehyun





	1. my boy builds coffins he makes them all day

**Author's Note:**

> hello! it's been a while since i wrote anything so apologies for the wonky writing! i was planning this for a dojae event but got super anxious so i scrapped it.. and now it's revived again!

A crisp white shirt for summer, and an elegant navy blue jacket for winter. A canvas slingbag, to keep books and pens and memories, and a pair of sleek black leather shoes, to go places and explore the world. A little red bow on the edge of the beret for a splash of color, and a row of shimmering white buttons to accentuate the look. Details by details were added as long fingers drag a pencil across a page of the sketchbook, accompanied by some splotches of watercolor paint.

“—Kim! Mr. Kim, sir!”

Doyoung’s reverie broke when an insistent knock on his door echoed into the room, followed by a shrill scream he knew came from his one and only apprentice, Lee Jeno.

“What’s wrong?” Doyoung asked as soon as he opened the door of his workshop to meet his visibly distressed student.

“The boys from school,” Jeno was slouching to one side, wheezing and extremely pale, his hand holding his walking stick tightly, “They’re at it again.”

Doyoung quickly grabbed the baseball bat he kept in the corridor and ran to the front of the building, where his window was currently being pinged by small stones. He hurried to look and sure enough, a group of blue-uniformed boys were laughing from across the street as they threw their earthy ammos at Doyoung’s storefront window.

“Go away!” Doyoung stepped outside, waving his bat wildly at the direction of the boys and screaming from the top of his lungs, “Go away or I’ll tell your teachers!”

The students stopped throwing stones and leered at him, and Doyoung was ready to fight. But they backed away, one of them shouted something over the group of sweaty teen-aged boys, and they started laughing and running again, probably on their way to terrorize some other poor shop.

Doyoung lowered his bat when those brats had gone from his line of vision. From the corner of his eye he saw a crack formed on the window under the neatly painted “Kim’s Cavern”, and his mood soured as his mind calculated how many sets of clothes he would’ve to sell to get his shop window replaced as soon as possible.

“Are you okay, Mr. Kim?” Doyoung heard Jeno asked, and he looked up to find the younger boy struggling to drag his left leg as he maneuvered between display shelves.

“I’m okay, Jeno,” Doyoung replied, “We’re okay. I’m sorry you had to go all the way back to fetch me.”

“I know you get absorbed into your own world whenever you’re designing new clothes, Mr. Kim,” Jeno muttered with a frown, “I’m the one who’s sorry I had to interrupt your work.”

Doyoung patted Jeno’s head in pure adoration. Jeno really was the nicest kid he knew, and Doyoung was eternally grateful to have the boy as his apprentice. He couldn’t wait until Jeno was ready to start tailoring clothes by his own. As for now, he carefully led Jeno to his seat behind the store counter, making sure Jeno could stretch his bad leg and had his walking stick nearby.  

“It’s fine. I was just doing some finishing touches anyway, so I’m done with this morning’s work,” Doyoung reassured him.

“But what about the front window, Mr. Kim? This isn’t the first time those kids managed to break it,” Jeno pressed on, frown getting deeper, “You should consider having the shop charmed so there’ll be no more damages.”

Doyoung giggled at his apprentice’s childish suggestion “That’s unnecessary, Jeno, we can defend ourselves just fine,” Doyoung reminded him, “And magic is now banned, don’t you remember?”

“Still…”

“You don’t have to worry about anything, I’ll keep you safe, okay?” He offered with a hint of finality in his voice. Doyoung peered into the almost-empty glass Jeno kept near the cashier machine, “Would you like some tea? I’ll refill your drink.”

“Thank you, Mr. Kim,” Jeno nodded before he went back to the job he had been doing, writing down their sales record on the big leather-bound book, the same one Doyoung’s father and grandfather used when they ran the little clothes shop.

 

//

 

Doyoung was not pleased when he stepped back into his store after lunch, and saw a tall, lanky boy hanging around the counter where he knew Jeno was seated. His automatic reflex was to pull the boy away from his apprentice — He had had enough of kids coming into his store when he wasn’t around just to bully his darling Jeno.

“Don’t bother Jeno!” Doyoung barked, “Don’t you have anything better to do? What good do you bring to your life hassling someone who can’t—”

Doyoung's voice trailed off as the boy looked at Doyoung in surprise and confusion, but what stopped Doyoung was the soft hands holding his wrists.

“Mr. Kim,” Jeno started, his eyes wide and pleading, “Please let Jaemin go.”

Doyoung looked at him, unsure, before he slowly let go of the boy’s — Jaemin’s — sleeves.

“Jaemin is here to find something for his brother,” Jeno explained, pointing at the array of opened dusty catalogues spread all over the shop counter, “I was showing him your old designs.”

“Oh, you must be Mr. Kim of Kim’s Cavern,” Jaemin greeted, gums showing and teeth glistening into a bright smile, “Good afternoon, Sir.” he bowed his head and instantly made Doyoung felt like he just murdered a litter of kittens.

“I’m really sorry for what happened,” Doyoung apologized, quickly grabbing a nearby stool for Jaemin, “Please, sit down.”

“Thank you, Mr. Kim,” Jaemin replied kindly as he sat down accordingly, and it was then when Doyoung noticed the soft pink hair and light grey eyes.

Not exactly the kind of physical features you could easily find in this small humble town.

“You’re not from around here, aren’t you?” Doyoung inquired before he could stop himself.

Fortunately, Jaemin just flashed him another smile as he answered, voice low and sweet like ripples of honey, “My brother and I just moved in last week, Sir. I haven't had time to venture the city, but I heard about your works and creations,” Doyoung saw Jaemin’s eyes twinkle when he looked down at the pages filled with Doyoung’s design sketches, “and thought you would be able to whip up the perfect gift for my older brother’s birthday.”

Doyoung took another good look at the boy sitting in front of him. Jaemin seemed to be about Jeno’s age, and Doyoung was sure it was pretty unlikely for boys older than them to have dolls, even more so to the point they’d need special clothes for their dolls, even more so since this particular boy obviously came from the city, “Jaemin, I'm sorry, but are you aware that this is a clothes shop for—”

“Dolls,” Jaemin chirped, eyes not leaving the catalogue for second, “Of course I know that, Mr. Kim. The puppets you have on display and the lack of outfits that could fit me are telltale enough.”

Jaemin reached into the pocket of his jacket and presented before them a photograph of a wooden bunny doll, “Meet Jeffrey,” he announced with a proud smile, “He’s my brother’s!”

Doyoung squinted to look at the flimsy piece of paper better, and gasped when he realized what was printed on it. Doyoung could tell right away — the other time he had ever got a glimpse of this kind of doll was way back in his childhood, when a daughter of a wealthy landlord from another town visited his grandfather to ask for new clothes for her darling Tiara.

It was a wooden doll carved to the shape of a humanoid rabbit, with marble eyes that glimmer mischievously and ears that perk up so endearingly. It was an adorable little doll as it was, but what made it extra special was how the wood felt like fur to the touch, how the grainy veins of it seem to have a heartbeat, how the doll itself was alive. A lot of people believed it was witchcraft, that in reality it was just an old piece of wood charmed with illusions, but Doyoung’s grandfather convinced him that it was purely the talent of a really gifted dollmaker, whose works were so detailed and lifelike, it took him 3 years to carve one doll. The bunny doll was a legend, said that only three of these were ever made — while the fourth one left was unfinished with an empty socket for its eyes as the acclaimed dollmaker lost his eyesight before he lost his life out of grief.

Of course, no one ever confirmed the story as any mention of anything related to sorcery, even though they were just rumors, were banned to be spoken of in public. And Doyoung had never seen the doll again, since his grandfather locked himself with the doll right after, working days and nights and not letting anyone else enter his room while he did so.

Jaemin brought Doyoung’s mind back to the store with a flip to the backside of the wrinkled photograph, revealing a rough sketch of the doll with numbers all over it, “I have all his measurements right here,” he added helpfully.

“When is your brother’s birthday?”

“Two weeks from now, Sir,” Jaemin announced, “Right on Valentine’s Day.”

Doyoung grabbed his sketch journal and opened a crisp, clean page, “Let’s cook up some ideas, shall we? Tell me everything about your older brother.”

 

//

 

Doyoung felt his shoulders crumble as he stretched, his yawn cut short to a grimace at the pain shooting up his back. He had been hunching over his work table for 16 hours every single day for the last week, working intently on Jaemin’s gift for his brother. He was so focused at this particular project that he couldn’t stop thinking about it even when he was out of his workshop.

And it wasn’t all for naught.

Doyoung slowly lifted the tiny jacket suit he just finished and carefully put it on another table— a cleaner one where an ensemble of what Doyoung personally thought were the cutest pieces of fashionable items was already laid out. Jaemin had mentioned about his older brother’s love for romantic novels, and Doyoung automatically drooled at the thought of dressing Jeffrey the way all those male protagonatists would present themselves — smart, sophisticated, romantic.

He ended up sewing three different sets of suit for Jeffrey —  actually two sets more than Jaemin requested. It had been a while since Doyoung got to dress such a precious doll, and Doyoung was so excited that he overdid it. Doyoung must say, he was quite proud of the collection he had been working on for almost two weeks.

But now his bones were creaking complaints and he needed coffee, so Doyoung stopped admiring his work and made his way out.

“Good morning, Mr. Kim!” as per usual, Jaemin’s cheerful greeting echoed all the way from the store as Doyoung dragged himself to the kitchen. Doyoung heard a grunt that could’ve only been Jeno’s, probably flustered that Jaemin would interrupt whatever he was in the middle of saying to say hi to Doyoung.

While he was busy tailoring the perfect wardrobe for little Jeffrey, Jaemin kept visiting the store, partially to check on Doyoung’s progress and mainly to talk to Jeno. Sometimes Jaemin stayed and helped around the store, be it to clean the corners too hard for Jeno to dust without tripping all over, or to show the occasional customers around. Doyoung was grateful for Jaemin’s presence, since Jeno didn’t have many friends, and even less who were willing to visit him at his work in a doll shop.

“Good morning to you too, Jaemin!” Doyoung greeted back with a wave before entering the kitchen, where he quickly grabbed his coffee beans and pots, ready to make his poison.

Doyoung was in the middle of pouring the freshly brewed coffee into his cup when his ears picked up a light tap-tap-tapping that could’ve only been Jaemin and his springy steps, walking around the building. Sure enough, Jaemin came into the kitchen doorway with a bright smile on his face.

“Mr. Kim, do you mind if I join you?”

Doyoung shook his head and Jaemin immediately took a seat in front of him, fluidly grabbing a cookie from the jar Jeno kept on the little dining table. For some reason Jaemin reminded Doyoung of a cat, and his thoughts were confirmed even more when Jaemin suddenly said, with something akin of a purr, “Actually.. There’s something I’d like to ask you, Mr. Kim…”

“What is it, Jaemin?” Doyoung asked, noticing the nervous jitter of Jaemin’s arm, something he never saw from the confident grey-eyed kid before.

“I’m really sorry for asking this all of a sudden but,” Jaemin started timidly, “Is it possible if I take the clothes earlier than scheduled?” the hopeful lilt in his voice was not missed by Doyoung, “Something came up in the city and my brother and I have to go back to our family's tomorrow… He will be back here in the evening of the 14th, and I…” Jaemin sighed, “I'd rather give him an early present than late, you know?”

Doyoung eyed the calendar hanging by the kitchen door. It was the 11th, 3 days before the initial deadline. Doyoung knew he had done more than asked, and he already planned on spending the extra days to make another hat for little Jeffrey, which wasn’t really needed, so Doyoung decided.

“I’m actually done with the clothes, Jaemin,“ he said after another sip of his coffee, “In fact, you could take them today if you wanted to!”

Jaemin’s bright eyes shone even brighter at Doyoung’s words, his smile only growing wider and happier. “Really? Then I’ll fetch my brother right now, Mr. Kim!” Jaemin exclaimed, jumping up to his feet, shouting “I’ll be back soon!” before he ran off.

Doyoung put his now empty cup on the sink, preparing himself for the most exciting part of his job: the presentation.

Yes, Doyoung loved staying cooped up in his studio, sketching and sewing clothes for his cuddly clients. But he was always the happiest when he showed his works to the excited girls and enthusiastic ladies who usually requested for his service. There was something about his customers’ happiness and satisfaction that made Doyoung as if not more happy and satisfied, and for that reason alone Doyoung always tried his best to make his customers’ pick-up day an occassion.

Doyoung quickly told Jeno to tidy up, while he carefully transferred the precious clothes from his workshop to the store. He placed the outfits on the store counter according to their ensemble — Jeffrey’s winter suit, summer suit, and for the seasons in between — and making sure that each piece was at its best glow.

Setting up the display had always took Doyoung’s full attention, to the point where he muted out Jeno’s chattering as the young man moved shelves and baskets to make the store look more like an exhibition room. It wasn’t until Jeno lightly tapped his shoulder with an excited “Jaemin’s back!” that Doyoung raised his eyes from the little clothes he was arranging.

And what welcomed him back to reality was Jaemin and a man trailing behind him.

A tall, handsome man.

Who could be the most good-looking man Doyoung ever seen.

“Mr. Kim!” Jaemin exclaimed, dashing nearer, welcomed by Jeno’s laughter, “These look so amazing!”

He jostled Doyoung a bit as he took the space in front of the counter, but Doyoung couldn’t care less, for his eyes were still too busy taking in the sight before him — from the milky white skin to the muscular arms and legs to the chiseled jaw and soft, fluffy brown hair. To make matters worse, the other man was also staring back at him — out of curiosity or surprise or something else, Doyoung couldn’t point it out, but those eyes were so round, so green, so beautiful, and Doyoung might as well be lost in them.

“Oh right, Mr. Kim!” a tug on his sleeves turned Doyoung’s attention back to Jaemin, and the teenager was grinning, “That’s my brother Jaehyun!”

“I— I see,” Doyoung stuttered, glancing at the other man once more, this time alert and sober enough to remember his manners, “Welcome to our humble little town, Jaehyun. How has your stay been?”

Doyoung instantly regretted his question as it culminated into an awkward silence between the two, while the younger boys looked at them in confusion.

Doyoung cleared his throat, “I—“

Jaehyun’s head jolted so cartoonishly, like he just snapped out of a trance. “Sorry, oh my god, I’m so sorry!” Jaehyun apologized sheepishly, “I didn’t mean to stare, Mr. Kim! It’s just… I expected someone older when Jaemin told me about a dollmaker…”

“That’s fine,” Doyoung shrugged, “Others expected the same as well.”

“You are so rude, Jaehyun,” Jaemin chided with an eye roll, “Come here quick!”

To his younger brother’s command, Jaehyun quickly (and gracefully, Doyoung noted) made his way to the counter. His already round eyes seemed to grow even rounder when he spotted the array of clothes Doyoung had carefully put on display.

“Happy early birthday, Jaehyun!” Jaemin cried out in glee, “Do you like them? Do you? Do you?”

Doyoung watched as Jaehyun slowly raised his hand and gently ran his fingers through the soft fabric of Jeffrey’s new clothes. Doyoung was too nervous to look at his face to find any hint of dissatisfaction, but from the squeak of a hitched breath coming from the man and the wide smiles Jaemin and Jeno sported, Doyoung was sure he did a terrific job.

Like he always did.

“These are so… beautiful..” Jaehyun muttered after a while, this time taking one of Jeffrey’s tiny shoes to see it closer, “You.. you did all of these?” Jaehyun asked, turning to Doyoung, who was completely caught off guard by his sudden direct attention.

“I— Yes I—“

“Isn’t he the best!” Jaemin cheered, saving Doyoung’s face and heart for a bit, “These would look perfect on Jeffrey, wouldn’t they, Jaehyun?”

Jaehyun smiled and Doyoung melted at the sight of two deep dimples, “Yes, I’m sure they would look perfect on him.”

“You didn’t ask your brother to bring the rabbit with him, Jaemin?” Jeno asked with a frown.

Jaemin just kept on grinning, “I was so excited, I completely forgot about the rabbit.”

“Um,” Doyoung cleared his throat again, “You can bring the clothes home first if you want to, and if something didn’t fit quite right just bring it back here?”

“Ah,” Doyoung couldn’t possibly miss the glint in Jaehyun’s eyes, “Is it okay for me to go back here?”

“Defi— I mean, sure! Sure, everyone’s welcomed to come here anytime!”

“Then I’ll certainly visit again,” Jaehyun added, dimples still showing and now his eyes were turning into crescents.

Doyoung felt like his heart was going to burst.

“I— I don’t have anything prepared today, but there are cookies and pastries if you boys would like to stay,” Doyoung said quickly as he glanced down to Jeffrey’s clothes, pretending like he needed to pack those up as soon as possible.

“Oh, Jaehyun, let’s stay! You should try Mr. Kim’s tea!” Jaemin exclaimed.

“Why should I?” Jaehyun replied playfully.

“Because it’s your early birthday party, and Mr. Kim has the best cookies!”


	2. but it's not just for work and it isn't for play

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and i oop-- i thought i wouldn't be able to continue this but look...

The store fell back to their usual rhythm, with Jeno guarding the store alone and Doyoung tailoring clothes for dolls. They went back to having lunches together and spending their idle time talking, but there was a lonely silence that lingered without Jaemin’s presence. They had acclimated to the pink-haired kid’s chirpiness that his absence for 2 days felt like an eternity already.

The brothers bid them good bye on the morning of the 12th, with Jaehyun waving and smiling from outside while his little brother gave both Doyoung and Jeno hugs and promises of gifts from the city. Doyoung would be lying if he said he wasn’t the tiniest bit disappointed that Jaehyun didn't come inside to say good bye himself, but he understood they were rushed by train schedules.

It was now late in the evening of the 14th, Jeno had gone home already, and Doyoung was in the middle of closing the shop when he remembered that the two brothers should be back in town around this time.

He felt a pang in his heart as he thought about Jaehyun's birthday. Now that Jeffrey's clothes had already been taken home by the brothers, Doyoung didn't have any reason to anticipate meeting the older of the two anymore — he was sure the clothes would fit Jeffrey perfectly, leaving no reason for Jaehyun to come back to his sad little doll shop. Jaemin might visit now and then for Jeno, but Doyoung would surely miss the sight of his brother.

As Doyoung absentmindedly wiped the counter, an image of a particular dimpled face came into his mind. That specific face was scrunched against the clear storefront window as limbs waved about, clearly calling for Doyoung’s attention.

“AAAAAAHHH!!” Doyoung jumped when he heard the knock on the window.

He wasn't imagining the dimpled face.

Jaehyun was really there standing outside in the snow with his face scrunched to the window.

Doyoung quickly fumbled with the keys to open the front door of the shop, greeted by a smiling Jaehyun.

“Jaehyun,” Doyoung chided, “What are you doing here? It’s dark and freezing outside—“

Doyoung stopped when he saw Jaehyun’s smile contorted into a pout. “Not even a welcome back, Mr. Kim?” Jaehyun asked with a whine.

Doyoung was too taken aback to give a coherent response, so all he did was wave his arm in a flourish, signalling Jaehyun to quickly enter the warm shop. And enter did Jaehyun, while shedding his coat off his visibly shivering body.

“I really wanted to meet you before the day ends,” Jaehyun explained rather bashfully as he timidly pulled a black box with golden satin ribbons from inside his jacket pocket, “Here, a gift for Valentine’s Day!”

Jaehyun grabbed Doyoung’s hand to put the little box on it, and Doyoung could only stare.

“What is this—“

“It’s chocolate, Mr. Kim! I bought it in the city. It’s carved into a shape of a rose!”

“Jaehyun.. You didn’t have to — I mean, we’re not… Why….” Doyoung sighed, “Jaehyun, I didn’t even prepare any birthday present for you.”

“What do you mean, Mr. Kim? You threw an early birthday party for me. You made new clothes for Jeffrey. And you helped Jaemin warm up to living in this town!” Jaehyun exclaimed, “You’ve given me so much already!” he leaned close, his green eyes soft and sparkling and Doyoung felt like he was drowning in them

“If I were to be honest, Mr. Kim. Meeting you is already the best gift ever,” Jaehyun added gently before reaching to hold Doyoung’s shaking hands, “Thank you so much for everything, Mr. Kim.”

“Please,” Doyoung squeaked, his brain short circuiting over how he could feel Jaehyun’s breathe fanning his face, “Just call me Doyoung.”

“Right. Doyoung,” Jaehyun nodded, dimples deepening as his smile grew wider.

And then time stopped.

Doyoung stared at the man in front of him, and Jaehyun stared back. It made Doyoung feel all tingly inside, something inside him gravitating towards the magnetic pull of the sight of Jaehyun’s soft, plump limps. For some reason Doyoung knew Jaehyun wanted the same thing as him. They were one, and the had one goal. And with that one goal in mind Doyoung slowly moved closer, zeroing into the intensity that is Jaehyun.

But Jaehyun suddenly jerked his head back, his eyes dark as he turned to look outside the window and his smile faltered, “Oh, it’s getting really late. I should go now, I’m keeping you from closing your store.”

It’s okay, you can stay, Doyoung wanted to scream, but he was too busy calming his crazily beating heart that he only managed to nod as Jaehyun took his jacket and waved good bye.

“I’ll come visit you tomorrow!” was Jaehyun’s last words before he exited the store in a hurry.

And as sudden as his arrival, Jaehyun disappeared into the snowy night, leaving Doyoung with a box of artisanal chocolate and wishful thinking about what could’ve been.

 

**//**

 

True to his words, Jaehyun did came by to the store the next morning. And the next. And the next. And the mornings following the next and the next. Before Doyoung knew it, Jaehyun’s smile had naturally became a morning view Doyoung had grown to anticipate every time he woke up.

Sometimes Jaehyun came with Jaemin in tow — Jaemin automatically clinging to Jeno’s side — sometimes he’d bring breakfast for everyone to share — apparently he was a good cook. What never changed was how the two brothers always arrived at 8 am and Jaehyun always asked Jeno for Doyoung first thing as he arrived. Jeno would have to drag his leg to the workshop to notify Doyoung of the older’s presence and the four of them would chat until Jaemin had to go to school (and Jeno visibly saddened) or Jaehyun had to go… wherever he had to go.

Doyoung eventually got used to Jaehyun’s morning visits to the point where he adjusted an extra table in the store so he could sit and sketch some designs while waiting for the two brothers to arrive. He convinced himself that he was doing it to lessen Jeno’s burden (he might have overheard his apprentice whining to Jaemin about having to go all the way to the workshop every single time Jaehyun asked for Doyoung), but Jeno’s twinkling eyes whenever Doyoung sat down on his new work station told him that he had another reason.

And perhaps he did.

It was one of those mornings, where Jeno was preparing to open up the store while Doyoung was busying himself with his sketchbooks. It seemed like a rather normal morning now that their definition of normal had shifted, except Jaehyun was _late_. Doyoung tried so hard to focus on the colors on his watercolor palette, but it was getting harder and harder not to sneak glances at the grandfather’s clock standing on a corner of the shop.

By the time the clock pointed at 11 am — Jaehyun’s usual departure time from the shop — Doyoung gave up and closed his sketchbook in exchange of the daily newspaper a neighborhood kid named Jisung had haphazardly thrown into the mailbox earlier that morning. He frowned at the headline — it was another news of another capture of another witch in another small town like his — and Doyoung scoffed in annoyance before skipping to the more important economy columns — prices of potatoes, lowest in three decades!

His reading time was interupted, however, when he felt a pair of eyes staring at him. He turned and saw Jeno grinning at him.

“You’re waiting for Jaehyun again, aren’t you, Mr. Kim?” Doyoung was sure Jaemin’s mischief had rubbed on to Jeno.

He coughed and looked away, dreading the flush he was sure as hell was all over his face and neck, before replying, “What do you mean, Jeno?”

“You tell me, Mr. Kim,” Jeno pointed, “You seem especially fond of him and Jaemin.”

“Oh,” Doyoung croaked, “Do I?”

Jeno laughed, but it sounded more amused than mocking, “Seems like Jaehyun is rather fond of you too, though.”

“Hm? What made you say that?”

There was no reply for a few heartbeats, so Doyoung turned again and saw the playfulness in Jeno’s eyes had dissolved into a deadpan stare.

“Mr. Kim, are you serious?”

“What—“

“Did you not realize,” Jeno gestured at the shop counter dramatically, “That Jaehyun had been bringing you fresh flowers every day?”

It was only then that Doyoung picked up at the sight of lavenders adorning the vase near the old cashier machine. Doyoung’s mouth dried up. No, he didn’t realize Jaehyun had been bringing flowers to the store.

Slowly he got up, touching the petals gently, his heart threatening to jump out of his ribcage anytime.

“He.. got flowers for me?” Doyoung whispered, “Every day?”

“Yes, Mr. Kim. Every single day. Since his birthday. I can’t believe you were not aware,” Jeno answered with a roll of his eyes and an exasperated sigh — Doyoung made a mental note to scold him later as this was the most disrespectful his darling apprentice had ever been — and maybe scold Jaemin too for influencing Jeno too much.

But right now, there were still so many questions circling inside Doyoung’s mind, forming a tempest in his thoughts.

“Was it… always lavenders?” he asked aloud as he continued nitpicking at the plant.

“I don’t think so,” Jeno shrugged, “It’s always a different kind of flower. At least, the colors and shapes are always different. You know I’m not really knowledgeable about flowers, Mr. Kim. I’m not Renjun.”

Doyoung paused when he heard the name. A realization dawned upon him, making him drop his hands to the side before throwing a quick glance around the shop, checking anything else that seemed out of place. Doyoung’s heart sank.

“Jeno, please look after the store,” Doyoung ordered before he made his way to the entrance of the shop, “I’m going to Sicheng’s shop.”

 

//

 

Doyoung could hear Jaehyun’s cheerful greeting loud and clear all the way from his workshop. But that wasn’t enough to make Doyoung run down to the storefront and greet him back. Doyoung decided he would only go out if Jeno fetched for him again, and he had planned to pretend he didn’t hear Jeno knocking on his door.

Doyoung had every reason to be upset at Jaehyun. He had gone missing for a week with no news. Doyoung knew he could’ve asked around, but he didn’t need to. Jeno did it for him, since even Jaemin didn’t visit the doll shop at all. It didn’t surprise Doyoung the slightest that no one in the town was familiar enough with their new residents to know where the two brothers had gone missing.

Doyoung had every reason to be upset — and he didn’t want to hear Jaehyun’s excuse at all. That was why he chose not to welcome the two brothers back as soon as possible. Doyoung was sure Jeno would be more forgiving and that granted him the privilege of reuniting with his new friend faster than Doyoung would.

Sure enough, Doyoung heard a knock on the door a few moments later and Jeno gently spoke, as if he was coaxing Doyoung to get out of his warm little studio, “Mr. Kim, Jaehyun and Jaemin are looking for you.”

Resolute to his stance, Doyoung dipped his brush into the jar of water he always kept on his working table, before covering it in a fresh layer of paint. He was too _busy_ mixing colors to find the perfect shade for his new creations, he had absolutely no time to be making small talks with anyone, especially someone as distracting as _Jaehyun_.

After a few moments, Doyoung could hear Jeno dragging his leg back to the shop, and he almost felt bad enough for his apprentice to go outside. Instead, he promised himself to make Jeno’s favorite waffles next time and he shook his head, turning back to his work.

Doyoung only emerged from his studio with sore neck and fingers when it was past lunchtime and way past noon. All he wanted to do was to heat up the leftover soup he kept in the kitchen for lunch, and then go back to other tedious tasks he had in his to-do list. But his eyes met Jeno’s halfway the corridor from the shop front to the studio in the back.

“Sir, Sicheng’s here!” Jeno declared, “He said he wants to check on the windows!”

“He’s already here?” Doyoung quickly hurried to the shop, Jeno dragging his leg right behind, “Didn’t you tell him to come in, Jeno? He won’t—“

“Who’s Sicheng?”

Doyoung stopped in his tracks, frowning when he realized it was Jaehyun’s voice echoing from the shop. It was weird. Jaehyun never stayed in the shop this late.

“He’s the town’s handiman,” Jeno supplied generously as he entered the shop, “You probably never saw him before since he rarely goes out of his home. He’s here to fix the shop window!”

“What’s wrong with the window?” Jaehyun asked again, confusion apparent.

“Huh? It’s been cracked for a while!” Doyoung heard Jaemin replying with a tone of bewilderment “Did you not realize, Jae? You can see the cracks clear as day!”

There was sadness in Jaehyun’s voice when he replied, “I definitely did not.”

“Maybe if you were more considerate of others,” Doyoung snapped, unable to hold his tongue any longer as he sauntered in to the shop, finally meeting the two people had been missing dearly, “You would realize something.”

"Doyoung—" Jaehyun started, but a high-pitched cry interrupted him.

“Mr. Kim!” Doyoung wasn’t given a chance to adjust before the younger Jung smothered him in a huge bear hug, “I missed you so much!!”

Doyoung definitely wasn’t expecting that. And neither did Jaehyun, probably, because he was staring straight at Doyoung and Jaemin, his face scrunched as if he just ate a lemon. Doyoung tried hard not to catch his piercing gaze, and instead concentrated on patting Jaemin’s head full of pink hair.

“Hi, Jaemin,” he cooed, “I missed you too. Where have you been?”

“Sorry for not telling you or Jeno,” Jaemin frowned as he looked up to Doyoung with the shiniest grey eyes, “We had to go back to the city for some… family emergencies…”

“Jaemin was really upset that he couldn’t contact you beforehand,” Jaehyun added, but still, Doyoung chose to ignore him.

“Oh, you poor thing!” Doyoung continued fussing over Jaemin instead, “Was it that bad? Is everything okay now?”

Jaemin finally let go of his hug and stepped back as he answered, “Everything is fine now, Mr. Kim! I’m back here and I can see you and Jeno, so everything is more than fine, actually!”

Doyoung couldn’t help but laugh at Jaemin’s antics, and he saw Jaehyun opening his mouth as if he was about to speak again.

“Doyoung?” a baritone cut into the room like a knife cutting through a block of butter.

It was Sicheng with all his handiman glory — with his gadgets dangling from his belt and his impossibly hard metal-edged boots clanking as he walked.

“Oh, Sicheng!” Doyoung cried in relief, more than glad to have a distraction present, “I’m sorry for keeping you waiting! Come on in!”

Sicheng nodded with mild disinterest, pointing at the storefront window with his thumb, “Is this it?”

“Ah, yeah,” Doyoung replied, “As you can see for yourself.”

“You’ll be replacing the whole thing, yeah?” Sicheng assessed, “Do you need the new window to be lettered the same way?”

“Yes, please!” Doyoung exclaimed, eyeing the beautiful swirly letterings of Kim’s Cavern adorning his current window, something he knew he could trust a member of the Dong clan to replicate just fine.

Sicheng clucked his tongue, and without another word started measuring the windowsill.

Doyoung turned to the remaining people in the shop, who were all staring at Sicheng either in awe (Jaemin and Jeno) or confusion (Jaehyun). Jeno once questioned Doyoung about Sicheng’s perpetual aloofness, and now he guessed the other two would be questioning the same.

“I’ll bring some tea and cookies for all of you,” Doyoung said just to break the silence before he went back to the kitchen. Doyoung didn’t miss the huge green puppy eyes that got thrown his way.

He might never admit it, but he was enjoying seeing the look of longing from Jaehyun. He silently planned to ignore the other man until his heart grew to miss him too much.

 

//

 

Doyoung had to abruptly cancel his plans when he opened the door of his home that night and found Jaehyun and Jaemin, disheveled in front of his door.

“Doyoung, help,” Jaehyun said breathlessly, weakly holding onto Jaemin who was falling to his knees just in time for Doyoung to catch him.

“Jaehyun? How did you find my—“ Doyoung shook his head, “What happened? Why is Jaemin—”

“We were attacked,” Jaehyun wheezed, “on our way home.”

Doyoung almost asked for more explanation, but he was cut off by Jaemin’s painful groan. It was then when he sniffed the strong smell of steel and spotted the blood darkening the two brothers’ torn clothes. Quickly he hauled a half-concsious Jaemin into his home, Jaehyun limping right behind.

“Who attacked you?” Doyoung finally demanded after he sat his surprise visitors on the mismatched dining chairs in his kitchen while he filled a bucket with cold water to wash their wounds.

“It was — ah!!” Jaehyun winced when he tried to peel off his trousers from the deep cuts on his leg, “We don’t know, Doyoung. We really don’t know.”

“What do you mean, you don’t know?” Doyoung asked again, this time while he rummaged through cabinets to find bandages and scissors, “Describe them to me so I can report them tomorrow!”

“We couldn’t see,” Jaemin replied weakly, making Doyoung pause, “They were… they were translucent.”

“They were not human, Doyoung,” Jaehyun added, “They were something else not belonging in this world.”

Upon Jaehyun’s words, Doyoung quickly made his way to Jaemin’s side and took his arm, ignoring the cries of the pink-haired teenager. He carefully ripped the rest of Jaemin’s sleeves and his eyes widened when he saw the wounds on Jaemin’s arms.

No, they were not wounds.

They were markings, covered in soot but glowing when Doyoung blowed the black dust away. His heart ached as he recalled the memory of his mother, sickly and pale but glowing.

“It’s a witch’s hex,” Doyoung whispered, “Someone cursed you.”


End file.
